Coverage of the 2012 NFL Draft earned strong numbers on ESPN.
The first round of the NFL Draft earned a 4.8 overnight rating on ESPN Thursday night, up 12% from last year (4.3), but down 11% from 2010 (5.4).
Part of the increase can be attributed to less competition. Last year’s NFL Draft faced the clinching Game 6 of the Lakers/Hornets NBA playoff series, while this year’s game aired opposite a Knicks/Bobcats regular season game — in which the Bobcats clinched the worst winning percentage in NBA history.
Cleveland led all markets with a 10.7 for Thursday’s action. Birmingham, AL (10.5), Dayton, OH (8.3), Columbus, OH (7.3), and Buffalo (7.3) rounded out the top five.
For some perspective, last year’s NBA Draft (first and second round) earned a 2.5 overnight on ESPN.
(Thursday’s numbers from ESPN)
